Beef Cheek:

“This meat comes from the cow’s cheek muscles and is one of the cheapest but tastiest cuts of beef.  Well-loved for it’s meltingly tender texture, the cheek is best suited to slow cooking, taking in the rich flavours of wine and spices, and is pure heaven served with mashed potato”

Hi everyone!

Just loving the opportunity to cook these beautiful slow and flavoursome casseroles with the arrival of the colder weather.  Let me start then by saying that I have not had success with beef cheeks in the past, I prefer chuck steak, however I wanted to try again.  And so, the Beef Cheek Daube.  The flavour is absolutely beautiful and much like beef bourguignon only much, much more complicated, messy and time consuming.

This recipe needs to be started a day ahead for marinating purposes.

Final analysis from me?  The point of this blog is to give you my honest opinion and please keep in mind it is just my opinion.  I would just go for a beef bourguignon and not bother with this daube but definitely give the pie a go.

Until next week.

From my table to yours with love x

Beef Cheek Daube with Fennel and Rum

Start this recipe the day before

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 fennel bulb chopped
• 2 cinnamon quills
• 3 garlic cloves sliced
• 3 bay leaves
• 3/4 c dark rum
• 6 c red wine
• zest of one lemon and one orange peeled into strips
• 1.5 kg beef cheeks cut into 3cm pieces
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 80 g unsalted butter
• 8 small eschalots peeled left whole
• 250 g bacon cut into 3cm batons
• 300 g small button mushrooms
• 2 1/2 tbs tomato paste
• 1/4 c plain flour
• 3 c good-quality beef stock
• 1/2 bunch tarragon finely chopped
• mash to serve

Method

 

1. Combine onion, carrot, fennel, cinnamon, garlic, bay leaves, run, wine, citrus zest and beef in a bowel, Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours - ideally overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 160°c. Strain beef mixture, reserving marinade, beef and vegetable mixture separately. Bring marinade to the boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, skimming impurities from the surface. Strain through a fine sieve.
3. Heat half oil and half butter in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole over high heat. In batches, sear beef, stirring and tossing frequently, for 5-6 minutes until browned, set aside. Add remaining oil and butter with eschalots, bacon and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 mins until vegetables have softened. Add reserved vegetables and cook, stirring for 4-5 mins until veg begins to soften.
4. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then stir in flour.
5. Return meat to the pan with marinade and stock, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon. Bring to the boil, cover and braise in oven for 2 to 2½ hours or until meat is tender.
6. Skim fat from surface of beef pan. Strain, returning liquid to pan and set aside beef and vegetables in a bowl. Return pan to medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes to reduce and thicken sauce. Return beef to the sauce with tarragon and return to a simmer.
7. Serve with mashed potato.

Notes

Source: From June 2020 Delicious Magazine (The Chef & The Butcher)

Honey Vinegar Pie with Spiced Whipped Cream

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 sheet frozen sweet shortcrust pastry defrosted
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
• 1/2 c thickened cream
• 110 g unsalted butter
• 3/4 c caster sugar
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c runny honey
• 200 ml thickened cream
• 250 g sour cream
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 160°c fan-forced. Grease a 22cm fluted loose-based tart pan and line with pastry, allowing the pastry to overhang about 1cm and fold over slightly. Prick the base with a fork, line with baking paper and add baking weights to weight he paper down.
2. Blind bake for 15-20 minutes until the side starts to go light golden. Remove baking weights and paper and return to the oven for 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden and dry to touch.
3. To make the filling mix together the vanilla and cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of boiling water. Turn the heat down and allow to stand for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the vanilla mixture from the heat and set aside. In a separate heatproof bowl, add the butter and place over a pot of boiling water to melt. Set aside and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
5. In a large separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour and sea salt. Stir in the melted cooled butter until combined. Whisking rapidly, slowly pour in the eggs followed by the vanilla cream. Add the vinegar and honey and pour the mixture into the baked pie shell, whisking as you pour.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan twice, until the pie is golden brown on top, slightly puffed with a slight wobble in the centre. Allow to cool in the fridge for 1 hour or 3 hours at room temperature.
7. Place all the ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk until stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Source: From June 2020 Delicious Magazine (Larissa Takchi)